'Survivor: Nicaragua' Episode 5 recap

The episode opens with the Espada team back at camp discussing Jimmy T's departure. Holly insists that she is shocked by the loss as she believes Dan is the weaker player and should have gone instead. Marty is less regretful, claiming that he is now "in control" of the tribe after successfully convincing the others to eliminate Jimmy T. He then approaches Dan to discuss removing Jane and Holly next and expresses confidence in the possibility of having the game go in his favor.

Over at La Flor, Naonka is likewise upbeat about her and Brenda's position of power within the younger team and believes that they will easily eliminate Alina and Kelly B in the upcoming weeks.

The groups meet Jeff on the beach for a surprise meeting and are told that they will be shuffling teams. Marty admits that he was not expecting the change while Fabio also expresses shock. Jeff then has each person draw a rock from the bag. Brenda and Holly draw the colored stones, which make them the captain of their respective teams. They are then instructed to choose up to four members from each team to take with them.

Brenda chooses Jane, Jill and Marty to bring to La Flor while Holly picks Alina, Benry, Chase and Naonka to join Espada, effectively ending the "old versus young" team set-ups. Jeff also announces to the group that the medallion of power will no longer exist.

The groups are then immediately introduced to the rules of a random challenge, wherein two contestants from each tribe must bounce a ball down a wall which will change directions along the way. Two other members must catch the balls before they hit the ground. If they miss, the other team will collect a point. The first group to receive three points will win three chickens to be used as food.

The tribes quickly become tied at 2 - 2 after group members are unable to catch the balls before dropping. However, it is Marty who drops the last ball, allowing the newly reformed Espada the win. Both teams head back to camp.

Espada members all congratulate one another after the victory and begin to acquaint themselves with each other after the change in members. Tyrone expresses disappointment at the re-shuffling of the tribes as he believes Espada had a good rapport before bringing in the younger members. He also suggests to the group that they keep the hens alive in the hope of pulling more resources from them.

Naonka and Alina both express concern at Tyrone's clear role as leader of the group. Naonka in particular feels clear resentment towards him. Holly is thrilled with the change and feels rejuvenated by the addition of the younger tribe members, singling out Alina and Naonka as two people she feels an immediate connection with. She suggests an alliance with the girls and they seem receptive as they want to "follow the numbers" which will keep them in the game for as long as possible.

Over at La Flor, Fabio is "stoked" with the addition of Marty, Jill and Jane as he believes the three will make the group stronger during competitions. Jane likes that the younger contestants seem "more relaxed" than her previous group. She also advises Brenda not to trust Marty and Jill as she knows that they are constantly plotting behind everyone's backs. However, Marty tries to disprove this theory by admitting to his fellow tribe members that he has an immunity idol. This move rubs Brenda the wrong way as she believes it proves his arrogance and she brands it "the dumbest thing he could have done".

That evening at Espada, the camp is battered by heavy rain and wind. The younger members are unhappy with the team change as their new shelter provides no refuge from the elements. Naonka soon pulls Alina aside and begins to cry, saying that she is considering quitting the game as she is "breaking" after the reshuffle. Alina encourages her to continue on with the game, but later secretly admits that she finds Naonka's behavior to be juvenile and irrational. Chase soon joins the conversation between the girls and also offers support to Naonka.

The next morning, the groups once again meet Jane on the beach to discuss how they are adjusting to their reformation as well as announcing this week's immunity challenge. He explains that three members of each group will be strapped to a large wheel and will be spun by three other team members, temporarily submerging the strapped contestants under water. Once they come up, they will spit the water they collected into a tube. After the tube has filled up, a ball will be released and another tribe member will try to break a set of tiles at another part of the beach. The first team to break all of the tiles will then win immunity for the week.

Espada is the first to release their ball with La Flor following close behind. They break their first tiles at nearly the same times and remain tied for much of the competition before La Flor grabs the lead. However, Benry quickly catches Espada up, and the competition heats up as contestants try to break the final tile. Fabio then steps in to break the final tile and La Flor wins the challenge.

After the loss, Naonka once again expresses her disappointment with the experience and says that she is getting closer and closer to dropping out altogether as she is unhappy and losing a lot of weight. She believes that Espada is "cursed" and says that she doesn't care if she is eliminated.

The group also decides to kill and eat one of the chickens they won, much to Tyrone's dismay. However, he agrees to stand down as he believes it wouldn't be smart to "rock the boat" by protesting the move. However, after the chickens are eaten, his fellow tribesmen are annoyed by the large portions he took after previously complaining about the meal.

At Tribal Council, Tyrone is eliminated with five votes while Naonka receives two. "My plan for the tribe as the leader was to stay as strong as we could," he later says. "When La Flor came over, things turned from the tribe aspect. I'm not surprised - anything could happen. And anything happened."